Route 66 Presents GOLDFISH Reading, 11/29; Announces Holiday Party, 12/8

TOMORROW NIGHT AT 7:30PM Route 66 Theatre Company presents A reading of a beautiful new play with two of Chicago's finest actors. FRANCIS GUINAN and JANET ULRICH BROOKS perform in GOLDFISH by John Kolvenbach and Directed by Route 66 Artistic Associate Damon Kiely with Kelly Wilson and James Victor Kuligoski.

The November Reading Series Event-GOLDFISH will take place Upstairs at Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro, 3905 N. Lincoln Ave (in Northcenter) (Parking on the corner of Lincoln and Byron in Murphy's lot).The event is TOMORROW night, NOVEMBER 29th at 7:30PM. There is a $5 suggested donation. There will be a brief talk back following the reading.

And just TEN DAYS away...ROUTE 66 THEATRE COMPANY HOLIDAY PARTY! The party is on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8TH 7:30PM.

There will be complimentary appetizers from 7:30-8PM, cash bar and the lovely and talented
DIANA LAWRENCE playing a set as a way of saying thank you for the best year we've had in our short history, along with an EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 2012!

Before you party with Route 66 on December 8th, Come see two of Chicago's finest actors and a couple of young rising stars: Steppenwolf ensemble member and Illinois Governor (...on the hit TV show BOSS) Francis Guinan and TimeLine company member Janet Ulrich Brooks (currently in A WALK IN THE WOODS at Theater Wit) star along with James Victor Kuligoski and Kelly Wilson (recently Sandy in The Original Grease) and bring this life affirming comedy to our home at Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro.

Directed by Route 66 Artistic Associate Damon Kiely (whose work is currently featured in TWO fall hit shows: BECKY SHAW and MAPLE AND VINE), John Kolvenbach's GOLDFISH tells the tale of two off-beat college students who fall surprisingly in love. Lucy's loquacious. Albert's solitary. But Lucy persists, and to his amazement, sweeps him off his feet. Then problems develop: namely, her mother and his father. Dealing with eccentric parents stretches the power of love to its limits and sends Albert and Lucy on an imaginative search for a happy ending.

How do we become who we are? A young man raises his father and then leaves home. He meets a young woman who undoes him. She has her own story (including a mother who is a force of nature). We raise our children to leave us, but what happens when they do?

After a sold out run in Los Angeles, the Chicago premiere of John Kolvenbach's ON AN AVERAGE DAY was the inaugural production for Route 66 and launched the theatre company with its critical and box office success in August of 2008. It was directed by Route 66 Artistic Associate Ron Klier and featured Route 66 Artistic Associate Johnny Clark and Route 66 Artistic Director, Stef Tovar.

Mr. Kolvenbach is an American playwright known for works including Gizmo Love, Love Song, On An Average Day, Goldfish, and Fabuloso.

After graduating from Middlebury College in 1988 he attended Rutgers University graduating with a Masters in Fine Arts degree in 1992. Both Love Song and On an average day were performed on the West End in London. Love Song was directed by John Crowley and featured Kristen Johnson, Cillian Murphy, Neve Campbell and Michael McKean. Love Song was nominated for an Olivier Award nomination as best new comedy. On an average day was also directed by Crowley and featured Woody Harrelson and Kyle McLachlan. Love Song premiered at the Steppenwolf company in Chicago, directed by Austin Pendleton. Fabuloso premiered on Cape Cod at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (WHAT) in the summer of 2008, directed by the author. Also at WHAT; the premiere of Gizmo Love (2004), directed by Sam Weisman and productions of On an average day (2006) and Love Song (2007) both directed by Jeff Zinn. Goldfish was presented by South Coast Repertory in their 2009 season, directed by Loretta Greco. Kolvenbach's companion piece to Goldfish, entitled Mrs. Whitney, was presented in repertory with Goldfish at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco in the Fall of 2009.

Did you miss our MILE MARKERS Benefit? You can still show your support for Route 66 Theatre Company, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, with a tax deductible donation. Your support goes directly to the artists and the future of this company. Please consider supporting the arts by making a contribution online.

Visit www.route66theatre.org.

The Route 66 Theatre Company produces theatre that knowingly encounters risk and embraces the American spirit of exploration. Committed to our home base in Chicago where the historic Route 66 began and collaborating with our artists in Los Angeles, Route 66 connects cultural divides by giving life to the vibrant stories that link America together.

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